St. George, Elkhart-Goshen, and Athens-Clarke have largest gains in employment, December 2017

February 12, 2018

In December 2017, the largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in St. George, Utah (+5.8 percent), Elkhart-Goshen, Indiana (+5.7 percent), and Athens-Clarke County, Georgia (+5.4 percent).

Ocean City, New Jersey was the only other metropolitan area with a 12-month employment increase over 5.0 percent. There were 6 other metropolitan areas that had increases of 4.0 percent or more over the December 2016 to December 2017 period.

The largest over-the-year percentage decrease in employment occurred in Cape Girardeau, Missouri-Ilinois (−5.4 percent), followed by Grand Forks, North Dakota-Minnesota (−3.2 percent), and Elmira, New York, and Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana (−2.6 percent each). There were 4 other areas with employment decreases that were −2.0 percent or larger.

The largest over-the-year percentage increases in employment among large metropolitan areas (those with a population of 1 million or more in the 2010 Census) occurred in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida (+3.8 percent), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California (+3.4 percent), and San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas (+3.2 percent). The largest over-the-year percentage decreases among large areas occurred in Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia-North Carolina (−0.9 percent) and Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, New York (−0.8 percent).

There were 316 metropolitan areas that had over-the-year increases in nonfarm payroll employment in December, 60 had decreases, and 12 had no change.